BEST Leftover Ham Recipe (2024)

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Here is the best leftover ham recipe you will ever make and your kids will absolutely love! You can make as a leftover turkey recipe too with the same ingredients and it’s always a hit. With crescent rolls and cheese these turnovers make a great lunch or dinner.

I don’t know about you but I’m always looking for a different and easy leftover ham recipe. I always have extra Christmas ham or once Easter is over. Half of it used to get thrown out because we had enough sandwiches and soup trying to use it up. I usually buy a large one since they are so inexpensive around that time and know it will last us thru the next week with all the leftovers. (post revised, originally published 2/14, affiliate links present)

Easy Leftover Ham Recipe

Although I love throwing leftovers into our crockpot split pea soup I needed a few more ideas to make it last a bit longer. There are really so many ham and swiss sandwiches you can handle right??!!

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I know you have a bag of this in your fridge right now, especially if it’s the day after Christmas or Easter. Whether you’ve made an air fryer ham or one in the oven, you never finish it all.

Leftover Ham Recipe for Dinner

Let me start by saying, I HATE to waste! Especially if I have a bag full of delicious slices of meat I feel like I must find a way to use it.

I do love casseroles for sure, they’re always a great way to use up leftovers. Typically I will throw what I have inside my Instant Pot, or in a casserole dish like our ham tetrazzini with pasta and bingo…dinner is served.

A few years ago I came up with this yummy (and super easy) leftover ham recipe made with sliced ham. I made these little “turnovers” that everyone enjoyed.

If you too are looking for a fun muffin tin meal, this may become a favorite in your house too. The comments can’t be wrong, read them! TONS of people have gone crazy over this hand held finger food for dinner. You can even use it with leftover turkey meat too. After you make them, let us know below what you think of our cubed ham and cheese baked creation. 😉

How long is leftover ham good for?

Most leftover cooked ham can be safely stored in the refrigerator for about 5 days. To ensure it stays moist, store in an airtight freezer bag.

Can I freeze leftover ham?

I usually don’t, rather I prefer to dice it and use it in different meals for the next 2-3 days until it is used up. Our favorite next day meal is this, followed by Instant Pot potato corn chowder.

If you do have leftovers though, you can keep it in the freezer for longer storage than in the fridge. Just place your sliced or cut up ham into airtight freezer bags for 2-3 months.

This is how you make this leftover ham dinner recipe: First spray your muffin tin with non stick spray. Then, dice your ham or turkey into small bite size pieces. In a bowl add this with your grated cheese.

Best leftover ham recipe

You’re going to use the temperature and timing on your crescent roll package and take them out when tops are nice and browned. I have made another variety you can see below in the video when I could only find a crescent sheet. Not paying attention, I bought this instead. They’re NOT the same, but I made it work.

Make sure they are pretty golden on top or else the insides of the crescents will be a bit gooey and that isn’t good.
The kids find them really fun because they can pick it up and eat it without any utensils really. It’s a quick meal I can serve with a side of salad and we’re done!

Looking for more leftover ham recipes? You can dice it up and throw it in all sorts of other meals well beyond just slicing and making a sandwich out of it. Take a peek at what else we have made here.

Leftover ham recipe

Cubed or leftover ham
Refrigerated crescent rolls
Swiss cheese
1. or mozzarella if you’d rather
Mayonnaise
Dill
Salt (and pepper if desired)
Muffin pan

Here’s another fun leftover ham recipe using a crescent sheet (no perforations). Like I said above, I bought this by mistake. It will say crescent sheet or rolls on the package.

If you too can only find the sheet version, no worries because it comes out yummy this way as well. See how I made the best out of my “mistake” of a purchase below. 😉

Looking for other great ham recipeslike our Crockpot ham and potato soup? This is great and we have a bunch of other suggestions below:

You can make a sort of hash brown casserole on the stovetop with ham, that’s a one pan meal that we love for a quick brunch or breakfast for dinner option.

We love hearty soups like our ham potato soup!
Dicing your ham and adding it to leftover scalloped potatoes for a meal idea
- Add leftovers to scrambled egg in the morning – ham egg goodness
Black eyed peas and ham is easy to throw together
Our crockpot breakfast casserole recipe
Copycat Starbucks sous vide eggs work great with leftovers
Ham and cheese quiche or these ham and cheese roll ups are fun

Ready to bring your leftover ham recipe ideas to the next level now??!! Yes go ahead and make your favorite chicken cordon bleu too if you want, or throw it into an Instant Pot casserole.

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***** If you LOVED this recipe give it 5 Stars below and let everyone know what you thought about it. 😉

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4.70 from 10 votes

Leftover Ham Recipe

Here is the best leftover ham recipe you will ever make and your kids will absolutely love! Use your ham leftovers after the holidays to make these crescent roll ham turnovers or rollup that a great lunch or dinner idea.

Course Main Course, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword easy, ham, leftover, recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes minutes

Total Time 18 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 240kcal

Author The Typical Mom

Equipment

1 muffin tin

Ingredients

2 c ham cubed, or dice leftover turkey and use that
1 – 1.5 swiss cheese shredded
1/2 c mayonnaise
1 pinch dill
1 pinch salt
1 container crescent rolls refrigerated, to make 8

Instructions

Cube ham, shred cheese, and add to a bowl. Add mayonnaise. If you want more of a coating you can add a bit more mayo, up to you.
I like to add a pinch of dill and salt, you could add a pinch of thyme too.
Spray muffin pan with non stick spray and lay crescent rolls inside holes with the larger side of the triangle on the bottom of the muffin pan holes.
Mix ham mixture and fill muffin holes, then fold small part of crescent triangle over the top of the mixture.
Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until tops are nice and brown.

Video

Nutrition Facts

Leftover Ham Recipe

Amount Per Serving (4 oz)

Calories 240Calories from Fat 189

% Daily Value*

Fat 21g32%

Saturated Fat 4g25%

Cholesterol 36mg12%

Sodium 673mg29%

Potassium 133mg4%

Protein 10g20%

Vitamin A 10IU0%

Calcium 3mg0%

Iron 0.5mg3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

FAQs

What to do with fully cooked ham? ›

A fully cooked, ready-to-eat ham (also referred to as a "city ham") can be sliced and served cold or at room temperature—there's no need to reheat it. A spiral-cut ham is delicious this way, whether eaten by the slice, tucked into biscuits, or in a grilled cheese sandwich.

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How do you make a fully cooked ham better? ›

Helpful Ham Tips

For extra flavor, insert a whole clove into each cut intersection or in the centers of the diamonds. Applying a glaze after cooking—A glaze may also be applied after the ham is cooked. Increase the oven temperature from about 350 F to 400 F and brush the glaze over the meat.

How do you make leftover ham moist? ›

Place in an oven-safe baking dish. Cover top of ham with loosely wrapped aluminum foil to keep moisture in. Bake at 275 degrees F at 10 minutes per pound–or until meat thermometer reads 135 – 140 degrees.

Get More Info Here ›

Can you eat cooked ham after 7 days? ›

Information. Spiral-cut hams and leftovers from consumer-cooked hams may be stored in the refrigerator three to five days or frozen one to two months. Keep your refrigerator at 40 °F or less and your freezer at or near 0 °F.

How do you fix a fully cooked ham? ›

The goal is to reheat the ham without drying it out. The best way to do this is to place the ham on a rack in a roasting pan. Add water to the bottom of the pan and cover the whole thing tightly with foil. Bake at 325F for 16-20 minutes per pound, until a meat thermometer registers 135F.

Is fully cooked ham already cooked? ›

Both whole or half, cooked, vacuum-packaged hams packaged in federally inspected plants and canned hams can be eaten cold, right out of the package. However, if you want to reheat these cooked hams, set the oven no lower than 325 °F and heat to an internal temperature of 140 °F as measured with a food thermometer.

How do you add flavor to already cooked ham? ›

If you're using your oven, place the ham on a roasting rack—cut side down—set inside a pan. Add 1/2-3/4 of a cup of wine or stock to the pan (you don't want the ham swimming in liquid) and throw some aromatics in there—a few whole cloves, some star anise, and cinnamon sticks are all good options.

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How to enhance the flavor of ham? ›

Try these amazing ham glazes:

Bourbo, brown sugar, and vanilla extract.
Honey, Dijon mustard, and fresh chopped thyme.
Cranberry sauce, maple syrup, and fresh chopped rosemary.
Orange marmalade, soy sauce, and fresh ginger.
Cherry jam and root beer.

Dec 14, 2016

What makes a ham taste good? ›

Bone-in ham

The bone provides the meat with better flavor and texture. As a bonus, the leftover bone is great for making soups and stews, like this Old-Fashioned Split Pea Soup. Bone-in hams are sold as half hams.

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What liquid keeps ham moist? ›

You don't want to make a ham soup, so put just enough to coat the ham and cover the bottom of the pan. You can use water, but if you want to add more flavor, you should use wine or beef, chicken, or vegetable stock. Most of this liquid will cook off, but your tinfoil cover will help your meat absorb those juices.

What liquid to reheat ham? ›

To reheat ham slices on the stove, add a few slices at a time to a skillet over medium-high heat. Add up to ½ cup of chicken broth to keep the meat moist or opt for a couple of tablespoons of butter or oil to give the ham a nice sear.

How do you add moisture to cooked ham? ›

Put a bit of water and olive oil in the pan, cover the pan, and reheat slowly, just enough to warm the ham. You don't have to cook it again, just warm it.

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Is a 2 year old frozen ham still good? ›

Freezer storage time is for quality only. Frozen hams remain safe indefinitely. For more information, see Ham and Food Safety.

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Can you eat 10 day old ham? ›

Most ham lasts 3-5 days in the fridge.

Fresh uncooked ham, cooked store-bought ham, and uncured cooked ham will all last under a week in the fridge. This covers deli cuts, uncooked cutlets, sandwich meat, country ham, and honey-glazed ham. After 5 days, discard your ham as it will have gone bad.

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Is ham still good after 11 days? ›

A fully-cooked, unopened, vacuum-sealed ham can last up to two weeks in the refrigerator, according to the USDA, but the clock starts ticking once you open that package. Sliced meat, like fresh cut ham or spiral-cut ham from the store, will last in the refrigerator for only three to five days.

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How do you heat and serve a fully cooked ham? ›

Place in a 325-to-350-degree oven, brush with some glaze if desired and bake until heated through and the internal temperature reaches 135 degrees. Again, figure no more than 10 minutes per pound. An 8-pounder will take 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Get More Info Here ›

Can you eat a fully cooked ham without warming it? ›

Cooked canned ham and cooked vacuum-packaged ham, both from federally inspected plants, can be eaten right out of the package. All of these along with spiral-cut cooked ham are safe to eat cold or can be warmed to an internal temperature of 145°F (63°C), as they are already fully cooked.

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How long to cook a 10 lb fully cooked ham at 350 degrees? ›

WARMING HAM

Heat oven to 350°F. Place ham, flat side down, on rack in shallow roasting pan; cover tightly with aluminum foil.
Bake approximately 13 to 18 minutes per pound until heated through.
Remove ham from oven. Glaze as directed below or let stand, covered, 10 minutes before serving.

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How long to cook spiral cut fully cooked ham? ›

Cover tightly with lid, foil or place in cooking bag and heat at 275°F for approximately 12-15 minutes per pound.

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